The median nerve serves as a pathway for the sensations you feel in your palm, thumb, index finger, middle finger and outer border of your ring finger.
It also sends the nerve signals that move muscles around the base of your thumb. Carpal tunnel syndrome happens when the space in the carpal tunnel becomes smaller or the tendons in the tunnel thicken, placing pressure on the median nerve. In its early stages, symptoms may include tingling or numbness in your thumb, index finger, middle finger and outer border of your ring finger.
A wrist splint typically is the first step in carpal tunnel treatment. A splint can be particularly helpful for people whose symptoms bother them at night. Wearing a splint during the night can keep the wrist from bending while you sleep. That can relieve the nerve pressure and eliminate nighttime discomfort.
When symptoms persist during waking hours, wearing a splint during the day can be useful. You also may be able to ease daytime symptoms by taking frequent breaks from repetitive activities. This should prompt you to schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. Like many ergonomic injuries, early medical intervention may prevent a more serious health condition that may require more extreme and costly treatments later. This condition is well understood by doctors.
Your wrist has a variety of bones, tendons and nerves, but it is the median nerve, which controls the fingers and passes through the carpal tunnel, that is injured with this condition. A tendon that attaches to the base of the thumb traverses the carpal tunnel. If the hand is positioned incorrectly repeatedly, this tendon may become inflamed and press on the median nerve, causing pain and other neurological symptoms.
Although the most common cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is repetitive stress, there are other factors that may raise your risk for this condition, including. Naturally, you should always see a doctor if you suspect that you have a condition as serious as carpal tunnel syndrome, but there are some red flags that warrant immediate medical attention.
If you experience any of the following, see a physician immediately or visit an emergency room. If you fail to treat carpal tunnel syndrome early enough, some symptoms could be permanent.
This is because the inflamed tendon compresses the median nerve, strangling its blood supply. After a sustained period without oxygen and nutrients, the nerve can become permanently damaged. This leads to permanent numbness and loss of manual dexterity. Your options Have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Don't have surgery. Use rest, ice, medicine, wrist splints, and new ways to do some tasks. Key points to remember Home treatments may be all you need if you've had mild symptoms for a short time. You may be able to treat carpal tunnel syndrome with rest, ice, medicine, and wrist splints. You also can learn to do some tasks in a way that doesn't hurt your wrist. Surgery may be a better choice if you've had very bad symptoms for a long time.
Surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome may give you only a little relief if your symptoms are caused by other health problems, such as rheumatoid arthritis, hypothyroidism, or diabetes.
Treating these problems often makes carpal tunnel symptoms get better or go away. But in some cases, you still might need surgery. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in pregnant women often go away after childbirth. Unless your symptoms are very bad, you may want to wait and see if your symptoms go away after you have the baby. What is carpal tunnel syndrome? What problems can you have from carpal tunnel syndrome? You may have: Pain. Weak thumb muscles. This makes it hard for you to grip or hold objects.
Loss of feeling and ability to use your fingers and hand well. How does surgery fix carpal tunnel syndrome? It can be done in one of two ways: Open surgery : Your doctor makes a small cut incision in the palm of your hand. Endoscopic surgery : Your doctor makes one small incision in the wrist, or one small incision in the wrist and one in the palm.
He or she puts a thin tube with a camera attached endoscope into the incision. Surgical tools are put in along with the scope. How well does surgery work? What can you do other than have surgery?
You may try to: Rest your hand for 1 or 2 weeks. Stop activities that hurt. Put ice on the palm of your hand and wrist for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Studies haven't shown NSAIDs to be effective for carpal tunnel syndrome, but they may help relieve your symptoms.
They can cause side effects. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Change the way you do certain hand motions. Wear a wrist splint. It's usually worn at night, but you can wear it during the day. Other choices You can work with a physiotherapist to learn how to do activities in a new way. If these home care treatments don't help, you may be able to take corticosteroid shots or pills to improve your symptoms.
You can try yoga. Unless your symptoms are very bad, you may want to put off having surgery and see if your symptoms go away after you have the baby. How well do other treatments help symptoms? Splints are easy and inexpensive, and there is little risk to trying them. Corticosteroid shots and pills give short-term relief from symptoms. Why might your doctor recommend surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome?
Your doctor might recommend surgery if: You've had very bad symptoms for a long time, so you're at risk of having lasting nerve damage. Test show that you have nerve damage. A wrist splint, medicines, and other treatments haven't helped your symptoms. Compare your options. Compare Option 1 Have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome Try other treatments.
Compare Option 2 Have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome Try other treatments. Have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome Have surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome You have local anesthetic, so you are awake but won't have pain. You go home on the same day. You need to avoid heavy use of your hand for up to 3 months.
If you have open surgery on your dominant hand and you do repeated actions at work, you may be able to return to work in 6 to 8 weeks. If the surgery is on the other hand and you do not do repeated actions at work, you may be able to return to work in 7 to 14 days.
If you have endoscopic surgery, you may be able to return to work sooner than with open surgery. Surgery can make symptoms get better or go away for most people. It can prevent lasting nerve damage. Surgery doesn't always help. Your symptoms may come back. Major problems from surgery, such as infection or a problem from anesthesia, are rare.
Try other treatments Try other treatments You can try several home treatments to ease symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome, including: Rest.
A wrist splint. New ways of doing tasks. You may get corticosteroids. If you are pregnant, you can wait to see if the problem goes away after childbirth. You don't have the risks of surgery. You may not have to take time off from work. You don't have the expense of surgery. Other treatments might not work.
If you have very bad symptoms and wait too long, you could have lasting nerve damage. Temporary increase in pain, or a small chance of nerve damage, after a corticosteroid shot. Personal stories about surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. What matters most to you?
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